Benton County, Indiana
Benton County is located in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Indiana, along the border with Illinois. As of 2010, the county's population was 8,854. It contains six incorporated towns as well as several small unincorporated settlements; it is also divided into 11 townships which provide local services. The county seat is Fowler. Benton County is part of the Lafayette, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Benton County was formed February 18, 1840. It is named for Thomas H. Benton (D), U.S. Senator from Missouri. The original county seat selected in 1843 was Oxford, but after a long struggle between contending factions it was moved to Fowler in 1874. Courthouse The current Benton County courthouse, located in Fowler, was designed by Gordon P. Randall of Chicago and built in 1874 by Levi L. Leach at a cost of $62,257. The new courthouse was an impressive building from an architectural standpoint, but also provided much-needed improvements in security, including large fire-proof vaults. Randall had designed the Marshall County courthouse a few years earlier. Economy In 2008 the Benton County Wind Farm began operating with 87 1.5 MW wind turbines. Duke Energy purchases electricity from the wind farm and sells it to customers through its GoGreen program. In 2009 the Fowler Ridge Wind Farm opened nearby, giving Benton County one of the largest concentrations of wind turbines in the United States east of the Mississippi River. Geography Benton County's western border is shared with the state of Illinois and Iroquois County; Vermilion County is to the southwest and shares a small portion of Benton County's border. Newton and Jasper counties lie to the north, with White and Tippecanoe counties to the east. The entire southern border is shared with Warren County. According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 99.98%) is land and (or 0.02%) is water. Cities and towns Unincorporated towns Extinct towns *Atkinson *Dunn *Locust Grove Townships Major highways * U.S. Route 41 * U.S. Route 52 * State Road 18 * State Road 55 * State Road 71 * State Road 352 Railroads *Bee Line Railroad *Kankakee, Beaverville and Southern Railroad Education The county's four public schools are administered by the Benton Community School Corporation. *Benton Central Junior-Senior High School http://www.benton.k12.in.us/bc/ *Boswell Elementary School http://www.benton.k12.in.us/boswell/ *Otterbein Elementary School http://www.benton.k12.in.us/otterbein/ *Prairie Crossing Elementary School http://www.benton.k12.in.us/prairiecrossing/ *Sacred Heart Elementaryhttp://www.sacredheartfowler.org in Fowler is the county's only parochial school. Climate and weather }} In recent years, average temperatures in Fowler have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1999 and a record high of was recorded in July 1995. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in June. Government The county government is a constitutional body granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana and the Indiana Code. The county council is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all spending and revenue collection. Representatives are elected from county districts. The council members serve four-year terms and are responsible for setting salaries, the annual budget and special spending. The council also has limited authority to impose local taxes, in the form of an income and property tax that is subject to state level approval, excise taxes and service taxes. In 2010, the county budgeted approximately $5 million for the district's schools and $2.8 million for other county operations and services, for a total annual budget of approximately $7.8 million. The executive body of the county is made of a board of commissioners. The commissioners are elected county-wide, in staggered terms, and each serves a four-year term. One of the commissioners, typically the most senior, serves as president. The commissioners are charged with executing the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue and managing day-to-day functions of the county government. The county maintains a small claims court that can handle some civil cases. The judge on the court is elected to a term of four years and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association. The judge is assisted by a constable who is elected to a four-year term. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court. The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor and circuit court clerk. Each of these elected officers serves a term of four years and oversees a different part of county government. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and be residents of the county. Each of the townships has a trustee who administers rural fire protection and ambulance service, provides poor relief and manages cemetery care, among other duties. The trustee is assisted in these duties by a three-member township board. The trustees and board members are elected to four-year terms. Based on 2000 census results, Benton County is part of Indiana's 1st congressional district and in 2008 was represented by Pete Visclosky in the United States Congress. It is part of Indiana Senate district 6 and Indiana House of Representatives district 15. Demographics 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 }} As of the census of 2000, there were 9,421 people, 3,558 households, and 2,547 families residing in the county. The population density was 23 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 3,818 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.90% White, 0.21% Black or African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 1.28% from other races, and 1.38% from two or more races. 2.60% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 33.8% were of German, 20.3% American, 10.7% Irish, 6.8% English and 6.1% French ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 3,558 households out of which 35.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.50% were married couples living together, 8.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.40% were non-families. 24.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.09. In the county the population was spread out with 27.90% under the age of 18, 7.10% from 18 to 24, 27.80% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 15.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $39,813, and the median income for a family was $46,869. Males had a median income of $30,592 versus $22,169 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,220. About 3.50% of families and 5.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.00% of those under age 18 and 4.50% of those age 65 or over. See also * National Register of Historic Places listings in Benton County, Indiana Notes References Bibliography * External links *Benton 4 Business (economic development) *Benton Community Foundation *Benton Community School Corporation *Sacred Heart Elementary School *Town of Earl Park *Earl Park annual fall festival Category:Benton County, Indiana Category:Counties of Indiana Category:1840 establishments in Indiana Category:Settlements established in 1840 Category:Lafayette, Indiana metropolitan area